Acquiring and retaining information are highly individualized processes, with any given individual learning and forgetting at rates based on factors which may not exist, or may not exist with the same intensity, for anyone else. For example, the speed of information acquisition may be influenced by factors such as how well the presentation of that information matches an individual's learning style and/or the individual's aptitude for a particular subject. Similarly, while the degradation of an individual's competency with time is a common problem with all levels and ages, the rate and level of that degradation for a particular individual will be influenced by factors such as the extent to which a particular competency is utilized in the individual's day to day activities. While this individual variability can to some extent be accounted for through instruction which incorporates intelligent tutoring systems such as described in the incorporated priority documents, in many cases where competency decay is of particular concerns, such as in professions which have continuing education and/or certification requirements, education and testing requirements will be defined on a periodic basis which fails to account for individual variability. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for improved technology which can account for individual variability in acquiring and retaining information.